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Cold-hearted David Cameron’s floundering government descended into chaos yesterday over what people should do to stay alive this winter.

After Energy Secretary Ed Davey declared he wears a jumper at home to cut heating bills, the PM’s spokesman seemed to suggest it was good advice for the thousands of families who will have to choose between heating and eating as the temperature drops.

The remark, which comes after the Government’s own adviser warned that energy price hikes will kill this winter, sparked a furious backlash from campaigners and politicians.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said the comment proved Mr Cameron and the Tory Party had no answer to the energy bills crisis.

Mr Miliband said: “Their crime policy used to be ‘hug a hoodie’. Now their energy policy appears to be ‘wear a hoodie’.”

Panicking aides at No10 then desperately tried to backtrack.

They said the PM’s spokesman had used “loose” language, adding that Mr Cameron was not telling people to wear a jumper to stay warm.

But Downing Street’s denials did not stop Tory donor Lord Ashcroft from backing the advice.

The billionaire tweeted a picture of himself in a woolly, saying: “Wearing a jumper in support of the PM’s advice to cut energy costs.”

Among those who had reacted with anger yesterday was the National Pensioners Convention which said the Government was clueless.

NPC spokesman Neil Duncan-Jordan said: “The Government and the Prime Minister have not got a clue about fuel poverty and the real problems that people are facing with regard to rising energy bills.

Wrapped up: Knitwear fan David Cameron

“Putting a jumper on is not the answer when pensioners are having to decide whether to heat one room or go to the library or spend all day riding the buses just to keep warm.

“The winter fuel allowance has been cut. The help pensioners can get with insulating their homes has been cut.

“I’m surprised he didn’t ask them to knit the jumper as well as wear it.” The damaging row erupted in the wake of British Gas’s shameful 10% price hike which was announced on Thursday.

Lib Dem Mr Davey was asked on BBC2’s Newsnight if people had become “too accustomed to not wearing jumpers”.

He replied: “I’m sure people wear jumpers – I wear jumpers at home.”

Then at a Downing Street press briefing yesterday the PM’s spokesman was asked if Mr Cameron thought people should put on a jumper or wrap up warm to cut bills.

The spokesman said: “Clearly, he is not going to prescribe the actions that individuals should take but if people are giving that advice that is something people may wish to consider.”

Labour MP John Robertson, a member of the Commons Energy select committee, said the advice was “patronising and out of touch”.

He added that many people were so strapped for cash they would have no heating this winter.

Mr Robertson said: “It is OK to put on a jumper and turn down the thermostat if you can afford it but these people can’t afford to put the heating on at all.”

Advice: Ed Davey MP (Image: Getty)

Jokers on Twitter said the Government’s motto “all in it together” should become “all in knit together”.

Less than two hours after the spokesman’s remarks, the backlash prompted a panic statement from Downing Street.

It said: “To be clear, it is entirely false to suggest the PM would advise people they should wear jumpers to stay warm. Any suggestion to the contrary is mischief making.

“The Prime Minister would point people to a range of things being done to help people with their fuel bills, such as legislating to put everyone on the best tariff for them. He believes Labour’s ‘price freeze’ policy is a con – and certainly would not advise people on what they should wear.”

Mr Cameron has been on the back foot since Labour announced three weeks ago that it would freeze energy bills for two years if it wins power at the election in 2015.

British Gas was then the second of the “big six” providers to increase prices after SSE announced a week ago an 8.2% rise from November 15.

In the wake of the tariff hikes, Mirror readers reacted with disgust after we revealed yesterday that British Gas boss Chris Weston had refused to turn down a bonus of up to £2million.

Bob Hill said: “This man is a disgrace.” While David Thomas said it was “greed, greed and more greed”.

Experts yesterday warned people against relying on one thick item of clothing such as a jumper to keep the cold at bay. Dr Roger Henderson, of the Royal Society of Medicine, said: “It is far better to wear several thin layers because layers trap warm air.”